A Painful Truth
by Tibbins
Summary: Continuation of 13x06. Dean and Cas head out to find Jack. Lightly implied Destiel


**So what did everyone think of the new episode? So much Destiel potential, with the 'he's an angry sleeper' and the hats and the 'I'm your Huckleberry'. I loved it.**

 **Here's a reasonably short continuation fic. Destiel if you squint.**

 **Enjoy ^_^**

"He's gone," Sam said, in a lost, helpless voice. Like he was actually surprised. Dean wasn't surprised the kid had taken off. He was surprised at _how_ , who knew he even had wings? But the fleeing itself? Dean had seen the look in Jack's eyes, of _course_ he had run. After seeing the way Sam had backed away from him, hands raised, seeing the _fear_.

Dean pushed himself to his feet with a groan. His back bruised from where it had slammed against the stone floor. Cas was staring at the spot Jack had been, next to where Sam now stood, looking as though his whole world had just collapsed. Dean placed his hand on the angel's shoulder.

"We'll get him back," he said. Cas looked at him, desperately wanting to believe that what he said was true.

"I was supposed to protect him, watch over him." Cas said, voice strained, "I couldn't pull him away from the shot, I couldn't save that guard, I couldn't even stop him from trying to wake _you_ up," he shook his head. "I failed him."

"Okay, so it's not great." Dean said, rolling his head to the side to crick his neck, "but you tried. Sometimes, that all that counts."

Cas sighed but nodded. Dean patted him twice and then went over to Sam who had sat down and was typing furiously on his laptop.

"I'll set up facial recognition, keep an eye out for reports of anything strange."

"Great," Dean said, he tapped on the desk, "keep us posted." Sam nodded without looking at him, steel in his eyes.

Dean turned and headed for the door, Cas following on his heels,

"Where are we going?"

"To find your adopted son and bring him home."

"Dean, we have no idea where he is,"

"Oh, I have an inkling." Dean said.

Cas followed him out, seemingly bewildered. They both climbed into Baby and Dean set off. They could be there in a few hours. Though whether Jack would be there or not, Dean didn't know.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn't really want the kid back. Dean hadn't fallen for him the way Sam and Cas both had, hearts overflowing with empathy and sympathy. The kid might not be the monster Dean had assumed him to be, he was better than that and Dean gave him credit for trying. But he was still dangerous, full of a power he was too eager to use but too inexperienced to control. Wanting so bad to do the right thing that he didn't read the situation, didn't adapt, didn't focus.

Dean didn't blame the kid for the guard's death. He only saw it as inevitable.

Cas didn't bother asking him any more questions, he just stared out of the window, brow furrowed, eyes sunken. Dean glanced over at him.

"We'll get him back, Cas," he said.

The angel didn't respond and Dean didn't have the words to comfort him. An innocent man had died. Jack was responsible. Cas hadn't stopped it. Those were just facts. It didn't matter how he felt about them, it didn't matter that it wasn't Cas' fault. Dean knew that burden of guilt all to well, and he knew that no well-meaning bullshit was going to take that away.

 _Xxx_

They arrived at the cabin just after sunset. Cas glanced at Dean as he parked.

"Why would he come here?"

Dean shrugged, "where else has he got to go?"

They got out, the telltale creak of the doors slamming made Dean wince in the quiet. This place put him on edge. But they weren't Hunting, there was no need for stealth, really.

"Jack?" Cas called, approaching the back of the cabin where all this had started. Dean felt his chest clench as he rounded the last corner. The place where the rip between worlds had been was still clear, empty air. The pyre that they had built for Cas, and the smaller one they had built for Kelly. Dean's throat closed and he looked away, also deliberately stepping around the black scorch marks in the earth, the outline of Cas' wings. Cas himself seemed to have no reservations returning to the scene of his death, he barely twitched as he glanced around, affirming that Jack wasn't there before heading into the house, calling in a soft voice, not wanting to startle him. Dean let him lead, but once inside he headed straight for the bedroom.

Jack was curled up in that same corner, head in his knees.

"Go away," he whimpered, voice cracking. Cas came in behind him,

"Jack-" the angel began, but Jack looked up at them, eyes angry and pained.

"I said go away!"

Cas hesitated and stopped advancing. But Dean didn't react to the dangerous tone. He took two deliberate steps forward. He didn't crouch. He wasn't here to comfort. He was here to get the job done.

"I'm not afraid of you, kid."

"You should be. _He_ is," he jerked his chin towards Cas, "so is Sam." Dean nodded slowly, glancing back towards the angel, who looked furious with himself.

"Maybe. But I've come across worse than you before. I've _been_ worse than you."

"I _killed_ someone."

"You did."

Jack looked surprised. Almost as though he had expected Dean to deny his statement, or contradict him, try to soften it, make it sound not so bad. But that never helped.

"You killed an innocent man," Dean continued, "a good man. Just trying to do the right thing and save the day." He paused. "Just like you were."

Jack stared up at him, eyes swimming with guilt and tears.

"You screwed up, Jack. You didn't look at what was happening, you didn't read the room so you didn't notice when something changed. It's a hard lesson. But it's one you've got to learn."

"I should have stopped."

"Yes."

"You should have killed me when you had the chance. You said you wanted to." Jack's eyes flickered over to the bed, where his mother had died so that he could live.

"Maybe."

"Dean," Cas said forcefully, it was almost a growl. Dean didn't back off.

"Shoulda, woulda, coulda doesn't change the fact that I didn't. You're here now. This is what life is for us. It's making bad decision after bad decision. It's watching people get hurt because of something that you did. It's doing what you can and more often than not it's losing more than you thought you had. I know it hurts, Jack. I know you keep seeing his face. I know what you felt the moment that Cas couldn't fix him."

Tears spilled from Jack's eyes but he didn't wipe them away, didn't blink. He just stared at Dean as though fascinated and terrified by the words he said.

"Things can't always be fixed. Not everything gets better. Sam and Cas will tell you that it's okay to cry, it's okay to feel bad as long as you let it go in the end. They're right."

"And you?"

Dean huffed out a sarcastic laugh.

"You need to go through it, kid. There's no shortcuts. Chances are this won't be the last time you get someone killed. But don't you ever forget how bad it feels right now. Because if the time ever comes, when something like this happens and you _don't_ feel like this. _That's_ when you become the monster."

Jack swallowed hard but nodded. Dean returned the nod curtly then stepped back, gesturing.

"Let's go home."

Cas came forward then, helping Jack to his feet, walking with him to the car, murmuring soft words. Dean followed, his eyes wandering over to the burned image of wings, the pyre, and the place where the rift had been.

He took a deep breath before heading back to the car. Cas and Jack were both in the backseat, though all words had stopped. The drive back was a silent one. When they got there, Sam enveloped Jack into a hug, spouting platitudes and oozing kindness. Dean grabbed a crate of beer from the fridge and slipped out, leaving behind the happy family of three.

 _Xxx_

He'd drunk three of the beers before someone tapped on his door.

"Yeah?" Dean called.

Cas came in. He closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall.

"Thank you," he said.

"It was nothing," Dean grunted.

"I don't approve of everything you said," Cas said sternly, "but it seems like he needed to hear it. How did you know?"

Dean took a drink of his beer.

"Because when people tell you you screwed up it's easier to believe them when they start to say that you're not that bad after all. Kid straight up killed a guy, he didn't wanna hear that he was still a good person, that it was just bad moment. He didn't want to be lied to."

Cas gave him a sad, half-smile before sitting on the bed. Dean swivelled his chair around.

"You always know the right words," was all he said.

"Words are Sam's thing. He went to Stanford."

Cas shook his head.

"Sam knows what people want to hear. You always seem to know what they _need_ to hear. You use words wisely when you use them at all. You did well today, Dean. I wouldn't have been able to get Jack to come back on my own."

Dean rolled his eyes. Cas tilted his head in that infuriating way he had, "you're not pleased he's back?" His eyes were patient, forgiving, but there was a hint of confusion, and a little anger trying to hide.

"You and Sam are. That should be enough for him."

"And for you?"

Dean shrugged.

"It's safer for everyone if he stays with us."

"That's not what I asked." Cas' voice hardened slightly.

"Why does it matter? No, Jack's not my favourite person, we're not buddies. He's part of the team but he's not family, not to me. But he's still a kid. And he's not evil. That's enough reason to keep him around."

"Sometimes I really don't understand you." Cas said with a sigh. Dean's mouth quirked upwards without his permission. He pulled out a beer from the pack and held it out to the angel.

"That's not true."

Cas stared at the bottle and raised an eyebrow,

"You know that won't have any effect on-"

"Just take the damn beer."

He did.

Dean waited for him to take a drink before he spoke again.

"He'll get better. He just needs some time. He'll be afraid of himself for a while so it might be tough to get him to practice using his powers. Just remind him that if he tries to hold it all in he could explode and wipe out the world."

"I'm _not_ going to tell him that."

Dean waved his hand, "whatever, man, ask Sam to make it sound better."

"You're not going to help?"

Dean glanced at the door, as if to reassure himself that it was closed.

"When you need me to. But you've got this. He's not my kid."

Cas let out a long breath.

"Don't pull away from this Dean, don't act as though you no longer belong here. You're not just a grunt to get the job done when something else comes up. We need you, and I came back because you needed me too. That's how we win."

Dean suppressed an eye roll but raised his beer towards the angel. They clinked bottles and drank companionably. Just enjoying the company at the end of a long day.

 **So what do you think?**

 **I just kinda wanted these interactions to happen. Dean and Cas because I'm a Destiel shipper, Dean and Jack because in that final scene it really felt like Dean was the only one who truly understood.**

 **I also think that while Sam and Cas would start freaking out and not knowing how to be proactive, Dean would just go, act on his hunch and set off with purpose. He might not like Jack (honestly, I don't either), but he knows that he's important and he knows how much he means to Cas and Sam.**

 **Do you agree? Disagree? All feedback is welcome and appreciated.**

 **Love Tibbins xx**


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